Armagos: “The Lonely Piano” (2020) CD Review

Apostolis Armagos is a pianist and composer based in Athens, Greece, who has been performing both solo and in bands, as well as writing music in the Greek language for different singers, including Nikos Venetakis and Anna Linardou. His new release, The Lonely Piano, is his first solo project, the material coming from piano improvisations. Each piece has a strong sense of theme, and each has the power to transport you, sometimes outward, sometimes inward, evoking clear images and memories, even hopes and desires. There is some gorgeous playing on this disc.

The Lonely Piano opens with “The Lake,” which has a gentle beauty right from the start. There is a sense of solitude about this piece, giving me the feeling that the world and its bustle are far away, and can have no effect on me here. A sense of safety is created. The playing is beautiful, like light shining off the water. Yet there are also shadows here, and we must face whatever is in them alone. That is followed by “Lost In The Crowd,” which has quite a different feel. While there may be a sense of being on one’s own here too, this time it is while being among many, as its title suggests. There is no fear or danger, however, from the others around us. If we are indeed lost, it is absolutely okay to be so. There is no panic. This is a short piece. Then there is a gentleness about “Lancelot” as it begins, a light caress, perhaps a break from a dangerous campaign, a time to bind wounds and remember the fallen. It builds, becoming somewhat powerful and determined. There is also a strong feeling of memory.

“Kaleidoscope” has a lighter, more fanciful, magical feel at the start, yet is sweeping as well, like warm waves of color that come to lift you and carry you to a place just beyond where you can see. You have to trust that you’ll be all right, and somehow you know you will. And once that trust is established, the music loosens its hold on you, letting you explore but not stray too far. There is something childlike and innocent about this track, and about you too as you listen. At the same time, the track’s warmth is able to ground you in some sort of reality that feels safe. Then “The Mirror” has a more introspective feel, coming from a rather calm place, a place where hurry is not necessary. A place near the end, perhaps, and this track is a looking back, with some sadness, but mostly acceptance, at a life not cut short, but ending nevertheless. It is music of memory, and is one of my personal favorites.

“Butterflies” has a lighter feel but also a busy sense about it. You can almost see the fluttering of many wings in the bright daylight, all around you, so that you can’t actually see any single one, but rather just the overall movement, the color, the beauty, and let it play all around you. Isn’t it wonderful when we can approach life like that, or even a moment like that? Even if we can’t take part in this dance, we can appreciate it. That’s followed by “Waiting For You,” which has a pretty and warm vibe, a love that has no judgment behind it. There is a history, a strong foundation, yet also a light quality. What seems most striking is the eagerness, the excitement for that gentle touch, and for the joy that touch always brings. For that is where an eternally youthful quality comes out. The disc then concludes with “Goodbye,” which begins slowly. We sense a hesitation, perhaps an ebbing of strength, of power, yet also a desire for a lasting connection, a communion of sorts, before the final letting go.

CD Track List

1. The Lake
2. Lost In The Crowd
3. Lancelot
4. Kaleidoscope
5. The Mirror
6. Butterflies
7. Waiting For You
8. Goodbye

The Lonely Piano was released on CD on February 3, 2020, and was made available digitally on August 8, 2019.